Fertilizer-distributer.



No. 746.713. PATENTED D150, 15, 1903.

R. H. LANGSTON. FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER.

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UNITED STATES.

Patented December 15, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FERTITLIZER-DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,713, dated December 15, 1903.

v Application filed May 29, 1903. Serial No. 159,277. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD H. LANGSTQN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ebenezer, in the county of Florence and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fertilizer-Distributers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of.

this specification.

My invention relates to fertilizer-distributers; and it consists in a frame, bearingwheels, and covering-plows, a hopper seated in said frame, and means for agitating the fertilizer and forcing it through the apertures in the bottom of the hopper.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side elevation of my invention. Fig. 2-is a rear end view. Fig. 3 is a top plan View. Fig. 4.- is a detail sectional view showing the hopper and the shut-0E slide in section and the ends of the 'stirrers, and Fig. 5 is adetail vertical section showing the hopper and the chute in section and showing the stirrers in rear elevation.

My invention is described as follows:

1 represents the side pieces of the frame, which come practically to a point at the front end of the machine.

2 represents the rear cross-beam 3,the bearing-wheel. There may be but one bearingwheel or there may be two, if desired.

1 represents the plow-standards,which may be made of any desired shape and of any length. 5 represents the plows attached to said standards, which may also be made of any desired shape and size.

Secured to and rising from each end, andupper face of the rear cross-beam 2 aretwo standards 6, and to these standards and to,

'14 between the lower end of said rear wall and the bottom of the said hopper, and working back and forth in this slot is a shut-ofi slide 15, which reaches all the Way across-the bottom of the hopper and far enough forward to completely close the said longitudinal slots and prevent the fertilizer from escaping, except when it is pulled back.

Pivoted on fulcrum rods 16, one on each side of the hopper, are levers 17, and in the lower ends of these levers is secured a crossrod 18, and to the lower end of this cross-rod is secured the rear end of the shut-off slide 15; The upper ends of said levers extend a little above the upper end of the hopper and are secured together by a cross-rod 19. Secured on the upper edge, one on each side wall ofthe hopper and near the rear edges thereof, are two slotted pieces 20, and through the slots of said pieces work backward and forward the upper ends of said levers 17, and thus the said shut-elf slide 15 is made to move "backward and forward and close and open taut, because fertilizers are often very much wasted when the machine is making the turn at the end of the row, or in going from place to place, and when I come to the end of a row I simply place my foot against the crosspiece 18 and push the shut-0E slide 15 in or take hold of the cross-rod 19 and pull it back,

which performs the same operation, and thus I lose no fertilizer at the ends of the rows or the troughs, and if I desire to go a great distance I may move the adjustable stops 21 back and hold the levers 17 permanently in place until I am at the end of my journey.

Secured to the bottom of the hopper is an apron 23. This apron consists of two parts, an upper part 24 and a lower part. 25. The upper part is provided with thumb screws 26 and the lower part with corresponding slots 27, so that said apron may be lengthened or shortened, as desired. The purpose of this apron is to keep the fertilizer from being blown out of the course in which I wish it to fall.

Secured in the side walls of the hopper, one above the other, are bearings 28, and journaled in these bearings are stirrers 29 and 30. Their axles are cylindrical at the points where they are journaled in the bearings; but where their blades are secured they are square. The blades 31 of the lower stirrer are inclined with their lower edges to the right, so that when they turn forward the fertilizer is moved to the left, and the arms 32 of the upper stirrer have their lower edges inclined to the left, so that the fertilizer operated by that stirrer is moved to the right. Consequently the fertilizer is kept constantly moving from the left to the right and is thus kept perfectly stirred up, broken up, and separated, so that it will pass through the elongated perforations; but it sometimes happens that the fertilizer will be a little damp and inclined to clog in the elongated openings, and to prevent'that I have to provide the ends of the blades which pass immediately over the elongated openings with brushes 33, which pass down into said elongated openings and keep them cleaned out. These brushes may be permanently or removably attached to the blades and may be made of any flexible material and may be used or not, as the condition of the fertilizer may require.

Secured to the outer ends of the axles of the stirrers 29 and 30 and to the outer end of the axle of the Wheel 3 are sprocket-wheels 34, 35, and 36, and working over these three sprocket-wheels is a sprocket-chain 37, the purpose of which is unnecessary to explain.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A fertilizer-distributer consisting of a frame suitably mounted; a hopper secured in said frame, having in its bottom longitudinal openings; angle-pieces in the bottom of said hopper; a shut-0E slide operating through the back part of the hopper and adapted to close said openings; levers pivoted to the sides of said hopper and to said shut-0E and adapted to operate the same; slotted pieces, one secured on the top of each of the side Walls of the hopper, through which the upper ends of said lever pass; stops adjustably secured, one in each of said slotted pieces; stirrers journaled in said hopper, the blades of the lower stirrer inclined to drive the fertilizer to the left and the blades of the upper stirrer inclined to drive the fertilizer to the right, substantially as shown and described and for the purposes set forth.

2. A fertilizer-distributer consisting of a frame suitably mounted; a hopper secured in said frame, having in its bottom longitudinal openings; angle-pieces in the bottom of said hopper; a shut-off slide operating through the back part of the hopper and adapted to close said openings; levers pivoted to the sides of said hopper and to said shut-off and adapted to operate the same; slotted pieces, one secured on the top of each of the side walls of the hopper, through which the upper ends of said lever pass; stops adjustably secured, one in each of said slotted pieces; stirrers' journaled in said hopper and the blades of the lower stirrer inclined to drive the fertilizer to the left and the blades of the upper stirrer inclined to drive the fertilizer to the right; brushes secured to the ends of said blades and adapted to pass through said longitudinal openings, substantially as shown and described and for the purposes set forth.

3. A fert-ilizer-distributer consisting of a frame suitably mounted; a hopper secured in said frame, having elongated openings in its bottom; angle-pieces in the bottom of said hopper shaped to incline the fertilizer to said openings; a shut-0E adapted to close said openings; levers, one pivoted to each side of the hopper and to said shut-01f; a rod con-' necting the upper ends'of said levers; slotted pieces, one secured to each of the side walls of said hopper through the slots of which the upper ends of said levers pass; stops adjustably secured in said slotted pieces; stirrers journaled in said hopper operated by suitable mechanism; an adjustable apron consisting of two parts secured below the bottom of said hopper, substantially as shown and described and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD H. LANGSTON.

Witnesses:

J. L. WILLIAMS, L. ANDERSON.

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